03.29.08

Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan is angry at KFNS radio, saying he was put on the air without his consent by afternoon drive-time host Kevin Slaten and is contemplating legal recourse.

The incident happened Thursday, when they had a contentious conversation that Duncan said he thought was private, but was being broadcast. In it, he called Slaten a “nasty man” and Slaten accused Duncan of slander.

“It certainly was unethical what he did, and probably unlawful,” Duncan said Friday via phone. “But that’s the way Kevin Slaten is, and that’s why I wasn’t interested in going on his show. Kevin Slaten over the years has said a lot of things that have made me angry, and this is just typical of how he operates.”

Duncan said he was contacted first by a producer and declined to go on the air, but that Slaten called anyway. In an unconventional move, listeners heard the call being placed and Duncan answering rather than the normal procedure of the person being interviewed already being on the line when the host begins the conversation.

“He’s either a liar or he’s the dumbest man on the face of the earth,” Slaten says. “He either lied when he said he didn’t come on, or he’s so stupid he doesn’t know he was on. … Does this give you an insight what’s going on with this organization? Do you need any more?”

Caesar provides a transcript of the call, and one of Duncan’s main points of contention is that he’d prefer not talk to somebody who gave Tony La Genius such a hard time over his 2007 DUI charges. (Slaten responds “I’m the only guy in this town who has defended Tony La Russa”). In the Post-Dispatch’s account of Slaten’s call to Duncan, the broadcaster doesn’t inform the Cardinals’ pitching coach that he’s speaking live on the radio until well into the pissing match (and long after Duncan has insisted he didn’t want to chat with Slaten).

I cant believe they fired Slaten. I always listen to 590 the fan. I dont think I will be listening to the Fan anymore now that they just took their best show off the air. The only person that they have left is Frank Cusamano.

As a longtime journalist, I find Slaten’s behavior totally unethical. He counters his improper actions with a public relations slant in his own defense, slamming the station and the Cardinals. That only diminishes his credibility. He is NOT a respectable journalist and represents exactly what can go wrong with the media.

Slaten is now, and always has been, an egotistical ass who’s opinion is the only that is correct. Ask him, he’ll tell you so. I’ll be very happy as long as he goes somewhere else in the country outside of Missouri. GREAT JOB, KFNS!!!!!

Did anyone think that Slaten’s tenure with KFNS was going to end on a good note? This guy is a walking timebomb and it was only a matter of time before one of his “BS, childish, ranting” antics got him canned.

Slaten might be a time bomb walking, but the Cardinals are a pathetic rendition of the mafia.

I worked there for nine years and saw crap that would make the hair stand on the back of your neck.

Who served the guy who ran into Officer Browning?

A freakin volunteer organization at a huge vending stand.

The Cardinals covered up Josh Hancock’s night of drinking. They have put fans in harm’s way. And their food safety practices are abhorrently dangerous.

I knew Roger Clemens took steroids in 2004 and I told people close to me. But Cardinal Nation is so naive and ridicuously supportive of a frnachise that wants nothing more than to suck every last dollar out of their ignorant pockets.

Slaten is an ass. The fans that pay seven dollars for a tepid draft beer are bigger asses.

Kevin Slaton may be one of the most talented anouncers I have ever heard…quick on his feet, articulate, and fearless. Trouble is he has nearly always been blinded by is own biases, and perceives all issues as either being “black or white”. The same set of principals he seems to live by, he does not administer for others. Sad, really.

KFNS is screwed now, every other show they have is terrible and the station started to really go down hill when they ran Mckernan off. the bottom line was the only show with some balls in this city, those losers bernie and randy do nothing but swallow every inch the cradinals will give them. I hate sports shows that aren’t objective and now that the d-bag overrated pitching coach of a pathetic sports team wants to cry like a little bitch, St. Louis is left with absolutely nothing to listen to for the drive home. Worse than that is I really dont see any other stations in this area that he could go to…obviously 550 wont take him as he hates them and the cardinals, 1380 already has there afternoon show albeit a terrible one, and I dont see a station like KMOX picking him up. Perhaps a FM station will get him but as of now Stl afternoon sports radio just got really bad.

Slaten tells it like it is, Duncan needs to stand up and accept his words if you cannot back it do not say it on air or not. The Cards are headed in the wrong direction. The current media are a bunch of homers

Slaten was unlistenable. Only his lackeys and dittoheads listened to him with interest. If you agreed with him you were allowed to stay onair and shower him with worship. If you disagreed with him you were cut-off, turned down, and/or then belittled. Good riddance. He was the main reason I started listening to other stations in the afternoon once Dimino was finished. Fill his spot well and get the listeners back, but you’re better off without him. I’ll bet Claiborne is smiling now.

I’m glad Slaton is gone. He is a lawyer. He knows Tony could not have benched or traded guys he only suspected of using drugs. If Tony managed the Cards based upon rumors there would not have been a player left on the bench. Toward the end, Slaton got lazy. Instead of doing his homework and telling his listeners about something new that happened in sports, he would just rant on about Tony. He could have tape recored his his first bitch session about Tony and just replayed it again and again and again, and …..

I Started listening to the bottom line about two years ago, and I’ll admit I was a frequent listener almost every day. At first it was fresh, totally different and thought provoking. Slaten can make great points, fast and well spoken. However, it did seem lately that he was kicking a dead horse with the LaRussa, then the Duncan deal, and it’s other people’s stupidity if they want to give in to high cardinals prices, we all understand that. I guess there really wasn’t much else to talk about in St.Louis sports to fill up a four hour time frame. I would still listen today if it was on, except it always seemed like the glass was half empty with Slaten, but then again that’s why people listened and he knew it. Acting like an adult then acting like a spoiled 5th grader did get a bit bi-polar for me at times. Still wish he was on though, he did have a flair for keeping you interested on certain things. Speaking of Ric Flair, does this mean we’ll hear less of Mini Me McKenna reading from Slaten’s cliff’s notes the following morning?

You will be missed “King”, by those who love you and by those who hate you. (even LaRussa & Duncan because we know they listen). It was hard to believe the spin you put on everything to make it sound like you were right all the time, but you were right most of the time. CARPE DIEM

Carpe Diem? The only day worth siezing is the day they finally fired this jag bag. Slaten was unbearable. And I love the argument that because people who hate him listen to him it means that he’s good. No, I think many people are like me and listened to him because either a) there were no good shows on to compete, or b) they wanted to get their blood boiling on their drive home. If that’s good, then he was good. I know I listened for a combination of the two reasons. I sometimes turn on Rush Limbaugh during the day; I disagree with literally every word that comes out of his mouth and think that he is the biggest lying hypocrite on the face of the earth, but I like to hear what garbage people in this country are allowed to spew, especially since people in this country like to bitch about “liberal biased media.” Yeah, sure. Slaten is just like Limbaugh. If you want to deep throat his schlong (opinion) and massage his taint (ego), then you can stay on air for the entire four hour time block and he’ll tell you how smart you are and how incredible your insight is. However, if you disagree with anything, ANYTHING, that he says or thinks, its “Turn him down, turn him down.” And then five minutes of why you are the dumbest person on earth and why everything you think is completely baseless. Then, in case you miss his show, you can turn on Gayhem in the AM and listen to Brian McKenna blow Slaten for 4 hours. I mean, if Gayhem came on and just played slurping noises for 4 hours it would be about as original as what they do now. KFNS killed themselves when they ran everyone off. They had the best thing going, and now they are just one gigantic turd. Oddly, because this country is comprised of people who can’t form an intelligible thought on their own, Slaten (like Limbaugh) had tons of listeners. So KFNS should now be royally screwed unless they can put something good on the air in that spot. Pretty soon it will be KFNS “St. Louis Hot Gospel”………..sadly it will be more palatable than their current lineup.

Kevin Slaten is the best KFNS had to offer. If the idiot Duncan has a legal case, file it. The Cardinals are a money grabbing bunch of crooks. They would be selling bottled air from Busch stadium if they could, I used to be a fan, but they have no team worth a damn, they are lucky they play in the NL and in the Central Div. LaRussa is a jerk, talk about an ego,,,,,,Slaten is not a match for Tony,,Of course, somebody has something on somebody or there would have been a lot of changes if that franchise was run above board.

I just want to remind people that Kevin S. is a right wing weirdo,neo nazi lawyer,who got in a fight at the old Checker dome parking lot ,about 20 years ago because someone cut him off after the Blues lost. I am glad he is gone and I hope radio in STL keeps it that way.

I agree that Slaten was biased and never let anyone who disagreed with him speak on his show. But then, I listened for 20% sports content and 80% entertainment. I think he was insightful on certain things but the afternoon drive time show thats on now, although probably more inline with sports, is just boring. No exciting scream-fests or quick witted beat-down remarks. Not as entertaining. I tend to listen for a few minutes and get bored and unfortunately, there really isn’t anything else to listen to. I guess I’ll have to listen to NPR, or even worse, 97.1 for some entertainment. Please post if anyone finds out where he ends up.

While I agree Slaten can be a buffoon with his know it all attitude his show was entertaining and he pretty much told it like it was. Will be sadly missed driving home. Time to find a different station. Hopefully he gets picked up by another St Louis station soon.

Kevin Slaten is and has been a blowhard bully his entire career. He may not find a job soon, he’s been an employee at nearly every radio or TV station in the area at one time or another. Most people that called were belittled or had their intelligence insulted – fitting and appropriate considering that Charter Communications sponsored the response to the rant – the main call in portion of the radio show. Maybe he should go work for them in their call centers.

Kevin Slaten did a good job on tv a couple nights ago. He says it as it is and right on. He seems to be watching the same games that I watch. Either most sports writers don’t know what they are talking about or they are affraid to comment and then be theaten.